Monday, August 22, 2011 Print Edition

Monday, August 22, 2011

An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

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COLLEGIATETIMES 108th year, issue 71

News, page 4

People & Clubs, page 2

Opinions, page 5

Sports, page 3

Classifieds, page 6

Sudoku, page 6

Defense steps up as season opener nears MATT JONES sports editor With two weeks to go until the season opener against Appalachian State, the Virginia Tech football team did not necessarily play like the No. 13 team in the country during its scrimmage Saturday afternoon.

“I think we’re going to find that we’ve got plenty to work on here in the next t w o weeks,” s aid Fr a n k Beamer, the head coach. “Our effort was good, and as long as you’ve got effort, you’ll get better. We had some long plays, both ways, and sometimes that’s good and sometimes that’s bad.”

Starting quarterback Logan T h oma s , who has

KEVIN DICKEL / SPPS

impressed coaches during camp, had a slightly off day, completing just seven of his 15 passes for 73 yards. He added a touchdown strike to Chris Drager but underthrew Danny Coale for a costly interception.

“Like last week, I played good not great,” Thomas said. “I had the interception that I would like back, but I think as an offense we played pretty well.”

Highlighting the offensive portion of the scrimmage was David Wilson, who figures to carry a majority of the workload on the ground this season.

With the departure of Ryan Williams and Darren Evans to the NFL, Wilson will become the feature back in a system that consistently churns out star running backs. The fact that Thomas can just hand it off to a player like Wilson has him excited.

“He’s a heck of an athlete,” Thomas said. “He’s strong, quick. There are no words to describe him. I have no problem handing him the ball as much as he needs it.”

Wilson, who carried the ball nine times for 94 yards, is the only certain part of a running backs unit that figures to change over the next two weeks. Josh Oglesby, Tony Gregory and Michael Holmes will be fighting for carries, making it one of the few position battles on the team.

“Coming into the camp, coaches always want to see competition,” Gregory said after finishing the day with eight yards on seven carries, including a short touchdown run. “Right now as far as Wilson and Oglesby and me and Holmes, coach just wants everybody to stay on their toes.”

Although a torn ACL ended his 2010 season, Gregory did not rest, and is back to 100 percent.

“It was hard,” Gregory said. “I was just getting into the mix of things, see HOKIES / page three

Quarterback Logan Thomas drops back during Saturday’s open scrimmage in Lane Stadium. The Hokies open their season Saturday, Sept. 3, at home against Appalachian State.

Meet the new kids Ethnicity Breakdown of the Freshman Class

MOST POPULAR ACADEMIC PROGRAMS FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN

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ENROLLMENT REMAINS STEADY THOUGH TECH SAW AROUND 1,000 MORE APPLICATIONS THAN LAST YEAR ERIN CHAPMAN news staff writer The beginning of a new school year brings a new crop of fresh-faced students eager to begin their college experience. And this year is no exception — Virginia Tech’s class of 2015 is 5,054 members strong, according to university data.

More than 1,000 more high school students than last year applied for admission — 21,005 total.

Of those who applied, 13,534 were offered admission. Nearly 20 per-

cent of the class of 2015 accepted admission under the early decision plan.

Enrollment this year has not seen much of an increase from previous years. Amy Widner, the public relations coordinator for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, said the goal is to keep numbers strong without too much variance over years.

With a rise in the number of students admitted comes a need for more housing and resources.

And being admitted to Tech isn’t an easy feat based on the 4.00 average high school grade point aver-

age of the entering freshmen class.

However, Widner said GPAs can be misleading when judging students’ academic success, since they vary in high schools and aren’t always comparable. There are also 147 valedictorians and salutatorians in the class.

“Every year Tech has seen freshman classes that are academically strong, and this year is no different,” Widner said.

This year’s class also boasts 366 students participating in the Corps of Cadets.

The phrase “it’s all in the family” is no joke at Tech, with more than 20 percent of the freshman class having an immediate family member who attended or

attends Tech, making them legacies.

Andrew George, a freshman finance major, said he chose Tech after hearing good things about the university from his brother.

“Tech has a great business program, and I love the atmosphere. Everything fits,” he said.

The class of 2015 also represents a wide range of academic interests. The most popular majors usually remain the same each year.

Undecided students still make up the largest proportion of freshmen.

University studies, general engineering, biology, business and psychology are the top five majors this year.

Verizon brings 4G to region

“(Tech) has had good fortune with very strong classes and solid interest in all academic programs,” Widner said.

The top home states for out-of-state freshmen are Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and New York.

Students come from 49 states, three territories and 84 different countries.

There are 109 international students in the year’s freshman class.

Victoria Ebel, a freshman Spanish major from New Jersey, heard about Tech from friends who had attended.

“I fell in love with the campus,” Ebel said. “It seemed like a good fit.”

Verizon Wireless extended its 4G LTE network to Blacksburg last Thursday.

According to Verizon, this will allow students and faculty to download files and share music up to 10 times faster than before.

4G LTE users can experience five to 12 megabits per second when downloading and two to five megabits per second when uploading.

When users leave the 4G LTE network area, they will automatically be connected to Verizon’s 3G network, ensuring they are never disconnected.

To connect to the 4G LTE network, users need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk Plan, which starts at $39.99.

Verizon 4G LTE users on smartphones, tablets and netbooks can then choose between three pricing plans: $30 per month for 2GB access, $50 per month for 5GB monthly access, or $80 per month for 10Gb access.

To access the 4G LTE, a user must own a phone that can access the network.

According to the International Telecommunications Union, which sets standards for new technologies in the telecom industry, a network must offer at least 100 megabits per second for mobile access.

PICK UP THE COLLEGIATE TIMES TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. BE SURE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR 24-HOUR UPDATES.

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people & clubs

editors: chelsea gunter, patrick murphy featureseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

august 22, 2011

freshmen, don’t miss the

Hokie Hi-way

Pro BMX rider wheels into Tech NICK SMIRNIOTOPOULOS features reporter

Monday

Free Week for Group Exercise Classes (Continues all week)

Come learn about clubs and committees, try free group exercise classes or attend a home soccer game. Hokie Hi Welco me Week provides students with various events to immerse them selves in Hokie culture. Don’t mi ss out on the activities and free food.

Tuesday

Intramural Sports Orientation 6 p.m.

McComas Hall Freshman Bash 7-8 p.m.

Old Dominion Ballroom

Thursday

Cru Weekly Meetin g 8-9 p.m.

Location: Colonial Hall

Friday

Career Services Ta ilgate 10 a.m.-3 p.m .

Smith Career Cent er Gobbler fest 4 p.m .-1:30 a.m.

Outside of Squires Student Center Women’s Soccer vs . High Point 7 p.m .

Thompson Field Women’s Volleyball vs. Cleveland Stat e 7 p.m.

Cassell Coliseum

Saturday

h Point 12:20 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball vs. Hig Cassell Coliseum 7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer vs. Howard ld Fie Thompson

Sunday

.

FREE Cookout 5:30-9 p.m r no Ma b Clu .

G.E.R.M.A.N 711 Southgate Drive

MATTHEW RYBURN & BETHANY MELSON / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Racing through the United States on a 40-day college tour, BMX flatland specialist Terry Adams rode into Blacksburg last week to show off his award-winning tricks and interact with Virginia Tech students.

Sponsored by Red Bull since 2003, Adams has been riding professionally since he was 15 years old. He has appeared in four X Games competitions, snagging a gold medal in 2005 at the Asian X Games. Based on his competition success, he also received BMX Magazine’s Number One Rider Award in 2005 and again in 2008.

Adams has also been deemed the “ambassador of the flatland” for the type of riding he practices — the flatland style, as the name implies, involves freestyle bike riding on flat smooth surfaces without ramps or grind rails.

But Adams isn’t just a celebrity in the biking arena — he has made TV guest appearances on “Glee,” “Master of Champions” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

The Collegiate Times sat down with Adams to discuss his campus tour and career.

COLLEGIATE TIMES: What is your campus tour all about?

TERRY ADAMS: This tour is for Red Bull — it is a pretty big tour. I am just going around finding the best spots to shoot some photos, talk to students and do some riding. It is kind of a guerillastyle promotion for Red Bull. It is a cool thing that Red Bull does to promote their brand, bringing in their athletes to do what they do all over the place.

CT: How do you like Tech so far?

ADAMS: It’s pretty cool, pretty laid back. There’s been good weather. If it is really hot it can be frustrating — when students are walking around and they are sweating, the last thing I want to do is ride my bike. It worked out the past few days.

CT: How has the student reception been thus far?

ADAMS: If we can find the spots, which we did, where people are playing basketball, or a spot off to the side where students can watch me ride, those are kind of the key spots where people can see what is going on.

CT: What inspired you to become a professional rider?

ADAMS: I guess just being a kid looking in the magazines and wanting to be the guy in the magazine — (to) be the guy that was winning the contests.

Obviously when I was young I wanted to be a pro rider, but I didn’t think I could make a living out of it. The day I realized that being a pro rider meant getting endorsements and sponsors was the day I realized, ‘Oh, I don’t have to get a job.’ So then I really started pushing on the business side of things.

CT: You became a professional at such a young age. How did school fit in for

DANIEL LIN / SPPS

BMX flatland specialist Terry Adams shows his skills outside Squires. you as a kid?

ADAMS: The last grade I attended in school was seventh. I was homeschooled through high school and then attended a university in my hometown at 15. But I only went a couple of semesters, and I was traveling quite a bit at times so I stopped going. Taking as many trips as I was doing, even back then, it was kind of difficult to focus on anything else.

CT: Do you look back on your childhood with any regrets, or are you happy with the way it turned out?

ADAMS: I am pretty happy because even though I didn’t go to high school, with me riding a bike all the time, I was able to have some older friends and do a lot of traveling. Being 15 years old hanging out with 35- and 40-year-olds was definitely a cool experience. I am still pretty good friends with everyone I met, so that is pretty cool.

CT: Who was your greatest inspiration when you were younger?

ADAMS: When I was younger, anyone who was making a living, anyone

had sponsors, anyone who was on television or in the magazines doing their thing — it was basically everything I wanted. I was basically looking at them and trying to follow everything they did.

CT: Do you have anyone you look to now that you are older?

ADAMS: These days I pretty much do my own thing. Now I put in a little extra work than most pros because flatland is a smaller industry in the U.S., so those guys in it have to work harder to market themselves. There are guys out there that just accept the paycheck, and there are guys that put a lot of work on the back end, whether it is doing a Twitter contest, keeping the blog updated or doing these extra appearances for those sponsors.

CT: What was your favorite TV appearance?

ADAMS: The Ellen Show. It took five years to get on that show so it was a long-awaited journey. None of my sponsors helped me get that appearance. I was actually sending VHS tapes to Ellen since I was like a tiny little youngster trying to get on there.

CT: Was there any particular reason you wanted to be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show?

ADAMS: I just thought it fit. Ellen is from Louisiana, and I am from Louisiana. Every time I watched her show I could see a flat surface in front of where she was talking and so I was like, ‘I’m going to ride on that someday.’

CT: What is one thing you would say to the college kids out there to encourage them to come out and watch you?

ADAMS: I think the cool thing about any Red Bull athlete being on campus, whether it is me or any other athlete, is that extreme sports are kind of cool because there are not many athletes you can converse one-on-one with or watch what they do. You can’t do that with a pro baseball or football player. That’s what’s kind of cool about BMX. We’re pro athletes, but you can also reach out and touch us.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @Nick_smirni

sports 3

editors: matt jones, zach mariner sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

august 22, 2011

Hokies: Unproven defensive line remains question mark starting at kick return, I was going to do a lot of things. It kind of set me back, but everything happens for a reason.”

DEFENSE STEPS UP After allowing 398 total yards of offense in the first scrimmage, the Hokies got back to a little bit of “Beamerball” on Saturday.

Zack McCray and J.R. Collins each had two sacks as part of a defense that finished with 10 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and three interceptions. “(McCray) had a really good middle drill here Wednesday, was really physical, played well,” said Charley Wiles, the defensive line coach. “I’m anxious to see him today (on film). I noticed he had some tackles on paper. I’ve just got to look at the video, but he had a good week of practice.”

Tech will try and improve a defense that ranked No. 52 in the country in total defense last season, down from No. 12 in 2009. With a soft early season schedule and a strong core group of playmakers, Tech fans should expect a lot from the defense.

Senior safety Eddie Whitley, who finished Saturday with six tackles and an interception, is part of a secondary that returns preseason All-American Jayron Hosley at cornerback. Whitley made a big effort during his downtime to improve his ball skills, something defensive backs coach Torrian Gray wanted to see.

“I came out here and asked for a ball machine, and I’m catching 50 balls a day,” Whitley said. “I would want the ball in my hands, just make it second nature. Today it was like, ‘The ball’s in the air. Now it’s mine.’ That’s pretty good.”

SPECIAL TEAMS TAKE SHAPE It seems as though the novelty of having wide receiver Danny Coale punt has

look down.

pick up.

finally ended, at least for the near future.

Redshirt junior Scott Demler punted four times Saturday with an average distance of 41 yards, while freshman Michael Branthover punted three times for an average of 46.7 yards. Coale did not attempt a punt on the day.

“I think we’ve got a guy that we can use if we need him in a game,” Beamer said of Coale. “I think if we can have another guy doing that (punting) rather than a guy that’s running routes all day long, and then if you need a crucial punt in the fourth quarter, you want a fresh leg kicking it.”

At place kicker, Cody Journell made field goals of 25 and 40 yards, but missed from 45 yards and had a 54-yarder blocked. Beamer, who has been impressed by Journell in practice, wanted to see how the redshirt sophomore would handle the 54-yarder.

“I think he’s got the ability to make that kick,” Beamer said. “I just wanted to see if he could do it in that situation.

There’s no reason why he’s not going to be a good kicker.”

Follow the writer on Twitter: @MattJonesCT

Freshmen Camp Standouts

7 9 #

1 3 #

8 8 #

6 9 #

7 3 #

Kris Harley Michael Holmes Luther Maddy Corey Marshall Ronny Vandyke

This defensive tackle is playing faster after dropping seven pounds after coming to Tech.

All-around back that picks up the blitz and getting the tough yards inside the tackles.

Defensive tackle that has surprised coaches with his motor and raw strength.

A defensive end that doesn't mind getting dirty and dropping down to tackle.

A tall free safety that is impressing his coach Torrian Gray. Figures to see time in a backup role.

DANIELLE BUYNAK / COLLEGIATE TIMES

from page one

4 news september 23, 2009 august 22, 2011

page B news editors: claire sanderson, michelle sutherland newseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

nation

what you’re saying //comments from online readers...

HP considers exiting PC business

MCSB must be stoned>> The School Board and the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors ought to be tested.

Blacksburg High School collapses and the new plan resembles a prison camp, but this is their priority? The Neanderthals have returned.

Anonymous>> this is probably the most intelligent way yet for schools to tackle underage drug use. they used to have weed sniffin dogs randomly comb the schools and lockers but most kids i knew back in the day were smart enough not to bring anything to school with them or if they did they no longer had it by their first class. they should also get rid of the zero-tolerance policy because that kind of hardline approach only makes kids search for more difficult to get and more dangerous drugs.

Can I have your blood?>> Will you be the first to surrender your body fluids to the government? Amendment IV: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

“A lot” of material is relevant>> As an alumnus and former instructor at VT for 2 years, I have to agree that critical thinking is in short supply.

Two years of instruction outside of your major makes you a better individual. As a mechanical engineering major and professional, I can say that 95% of what I need to know to perform my job was learned on the job, not in class. However, the two best classes I took at Tech were outside of my major and made me a better human being: Human Nutrition and Language & Logic.

crime blotter

LOS ANGELES — HewlettPackard Co., a pioneering Silicon Valley technology company, wants to hit the escape button on the personal computing business it helped establish.

The world’s biggest seller of desktop and laptop computers said that it was considering spinning off its PC operations, that it will ditch its smartphones and TouchPad tablet computers and that it agreed to buy a major British business software firm for $10.3 billion in cash.

The plans amounted to a remaking of one of Silicon Valley’s most storied firms as it seeks to move away

from the sagging personal computer business and toward the more vibrant and stable market for corporate software.

That changeover will increasingly include cloud computing services, remote data centers that businesses and government agencies can use to store data and computer programs they run.

“Most of all, today’s about transforming HP for the future,” Chief Executive Leo Apothecker said Thursday. “HP is at a critical point in its existence, and these changes are fundamental to the success we all want as shareholders, investors and customers.”

The company disclosed its earn-

ings and plans after the stock markets closed.

Shares of the Palo Alto company lost $1.88, or 6 percent, to $29.51.

“The Street likes certainty, and HP is going to have a lot of moving parts now,” said analyst William Kreher of Edward Jones and Co. HP, whose early roots as a garage startup helped establish Silicon Valley as a technology nerve center, is in one regard following in the footsteps of former computer titan IBM Corp., which sold its PC unit to Chinese firm Lenovo Group in 2005 for $1.25 billion.

- mct campus

world Gadhafi reacts to rebel advance on Tripoli CAIRO — Beleaguered Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi called the rebels trying to bring down his regime “traitors” and accused the Western powers of intervening for oil and destroying the country’s infrastructure in their wake, he said in an audio address that aired on state TV before dawn Sunday.

“Is this democracy? I think not,” Gadhafi said, as the channel broadcast apparently archived footage of his supporters.

Calling himself the “father of Libya,” Gadhafi urged his followers to “go forward, go forward” — perhaps a battle cry as anti-government forces encroached upon Tripoli, where

c-

unusually heavy clashes and explosions fueled reports that the battle for the capital had begun.

Gadhafi’s comments came after a dizzying day in Libya with widespread rumors of the dictator’s flight from power and a resurgent rebellion that threatened to topple Gadhafi.

Earlier, rebels fighting against the Libyan leader claimed to have captured three crucial cities in their advance toward Tripoli this weekend.

It was unclear, however, how extension the fighting was in the capital.

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, head of the rebels’ National Transitional Council, urged calm in a brief televised address

Saturday evening. He didn’t address reports of an uprising inside central Tripoli or the widespread and unverifiable talk that Gadhafi and his family departure. Instead, he urged residents to safeguard their property and vowed that the end was near for Gadhafi’s four-decade stranglehold on the oilrich North African nation.

“We have always called Tripoli the capital of a free Libya,” Abdul-Jalil said in a short speech that aired on the rebels’ satellite channel. “We are depending on you to protect your wealth, your ports and your national institutions.”

- mct campus

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V I O L A T I O N - A F F I D A V I T

date reported

time

offense

location

status

8/18/11

11:51 p.m.

Appearing Intoxicated in Public

Washington Street

Cleared By Arrest

8/19/11

12:41 a.m.

Underage Possession of Alcohol

Pritchard Hall

Inactive

8/19/11

1:57 a.m.

Appearing Intoxicated in Public

Drillfield

Cleared By Arrest

8/19/11

12:19 a.m.

Appearing Intoxicated in Public

North Main Street

Cleared By Arrest

13216540656465514

On drug testing in Montgomery County Schools:

opınıons 5

editors: scott masselli, sean simons opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com/ 540.231.9865 COLLEGIATETIMES

august 22, 2011

The Collegiate Times is an independent student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

Our Views [letter from the editor]

CT changing with social media world ith the beginning of a new W semester, the Collegiate Times isadaptingtothe changingtide of how our readers receive news. This year we are adding new online content to make our website a constant resource for readers. Blogs, interactive graphics and morning news digests on your favorite subjects will now be featured daily on CollegiateTimes. com. We know you’re online, so we are too.

As we expand our presence online, we continue to publish our classic printedition.Youcanexpectthesame dedication to news and campus coverage — with a strong focus on illuminating the issues college students deal with every day. The Collegiate Times staff is entirely composed of Virginia Tech students, but the paper is independent of the university. This means we’re covering issues that affect our readers and writers, from the student staff to faculty members and Blacksburg residents.

You can find a news home with the Collegiate Times. We are in print four days a week, from Tuesday to Friday.

We have official Twitter and Facebook accounts for the paper and The Extra Point, our Hokie football supplement.Wealsohavemanywriters updating the community through their personal Twitter accounts. You cannowfindourwriters’Twitterhandles at the end of each story they write.

We’re getting connected so you can stay informed, and we hope you take advantage of it. So while you’re catching up on last night’s photos during a striking lecture in (insert course here), check out the Collegiate Times’ coverage of everything else that happened.

But let’s talk about our four new blogs, because we know this is how many of you want to read your news.

We won’t give everything away, but suffice it to say that they’ll cover news, sports, technology and photography.

The blogs will feature all of those small storiesthatwon’tmakethenewspaper and also keep the discussion going about stories that do. They will be used as the front lines for breaking news that affects Tech students, taking the pulse of campus life. And then they will also be used as a sounding board. Reader comments and questions will be heavily featured on our blogs. There’s only so much we can fit on our print pages, but that doesn’t mean everything else isn’t important.

Premiering today, the blogs will be a regularly updated source of on and off campus happenings that we think you should know about. Go online to find your favorite.

If you check the Collegiate Times website while you grab lunch this year, you will find interactive content you can click through to stay current during the day. Interactive graphics, photo galleries and video content will be appearing on the site at noon every weekday to give you a new, visual approach to the news.

There will also be some changes coming to the opinions section this year. Keep in mind it is entirely devoted to the opinions of community members. We invite our readers to provide their own opinions as columnists (of the guest or regular variety), through letters to the editor or via commenting and tweeting — we do that too. Look out for some themed daystofeatureavarietyofperspectives on a specific topic. Don’t agree? We’d love to hear from you, in the form of letters and comments and tweets.

We’re still the Collegiate Times you know, read and trust. Now, we are the Collegiate Times you follow, tweet and interact with. We are there with the information you need, when you need it.

ZACH CRIZER -editor-in-chief

Take back the liberal arts on our campuses recent trends hold true, most of If the 3 million freshmen starting at U.S. colleges this fall will choose majors that prepare them for careers rather than majors in the liberal arts. Department of Education data show that students are opting for engineering, education or criminology instead of more traditional majors such as history, philosophy or even mathematics. Part of the trend can be explained by students seeking degrees that will allow them to step into jobs upon graduating. But that is only part of the reason for the eclipse of the liberal arts.

Liberal arts scholars are mourning the shift. In her book “Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities,” University of Chicago philosopher Martha Nussbaum argues that pondering Plato, Shakespeare and Darwin cultivates “citizens who can think for themselves, criticize tradition and understand the significance of another person’s suffering and achievements.”

That may be true. But in visiting university classes across the country, we were appalled at how the humanities and social sciences — even pure sciences — were being taught. If students are staying away from those classes, it’s not necessarily because they prefer practical training. Many times it’s because professors have subverted the subjects that once held pride of place on most campuses.

The liberal arts have been radically altered, both in format and function. The catalog labels are still recognizable: psychology, comparative literature, English and the like. But what is being taught is no longer attuned to undergraduates looking for a broader and deeper understanding of the world.

Consider Yale’s description of a course it offered that dealt with how disabilities are depicted in fiction: “We will examine how characters serve as figures of otherness, transcendence, physicality or abjection. Later may come examination questions on regulative discourse, performativity and frameworks of intelligibility.”

Classes like these suggest that professors are using the curriculum as their personal playgrounds. Harvard’s Harvey Mansfield worries that too many professors take the approach that “what they’re doing research on is exactly what students need to know.” As a result, freshmen are often addressed as if they were novitiate doctoral candidates, eager to imbibe the esoterica of academic disciplines.

Courses should be created for the benefit of students, not as vehicles for faculty careers.

In our own teaching, we’ve found that students arrive at college interested in the economy, their society and its culture.

They are not incurious, as many academics complain. Nor do we agree with Charles Murray, who argues we are sending too many young people to college.

On the contrary, we believe that every undergraduate, even those now basically majoring in beer, would benefit from

giving a seminar paper on Jane Austen’s “Persuasion.”

In less discipline-bound days, professors such as C. Wright Mills, David Riesman and Margaret Mead conversed with their students as they did with larger audiences.

The late Allan Bloom mesmerized generations of undergraduates as he paced puffing a Gauloise while holding forth on Rousseau’s “Emile.” He was a philosopher by training, but he believed that students should be exposed to the broad sweep of great literature and big thoughts.

Cornell’s Robert Frank was speaking about the discipline of economics when he worried that today’s introductory courses are “tailored not for the majority of students for whom it will be their only economics course, but for the negligible fraction who will go on to become professional economists.” But much the same can be said of sociology, psychology and political science as they are taught in today’s institutions of higher learning.

Amherst once had a college-wide course called “Evolution of the Earth and Man,” team taught by faculty from geology through genetics. It was exactly the sort of thing that drew people into the sciences. However, that offering no longer exists. Such classes don’t earn points for the professors who plan them. Instead, they are expected to be doing research that will lead to tenure or higher ranks, which often means they are concentrating on ever more obscure topics.

An American Mathematical Society study of introductory courses found that only 11 percent were taught by regular faculty.Professorsmakingtheirmarkin“orbit structure of diffeomorphims of manifolds” feel their talents would be wasted teaching Math 101. But they might mull Albert Einstein’s words to young researchers: “You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.”

There are still colleges where the contents of the bottles match the labels. But they tend to be more modest schools, ones that don’t expect their faculties to make national reputations in research.

Occidental College in Los Angeles is such a school, as is Hendrix College in Arkansas and the new Quest University Canada in British Columbia. And there are excellent dedicated liberal arts colleges within affordable public systems. New College of FloridaandSt.Mary’sCollegeofMaryland are two; also Arizona State University’s Barrett honors college and Macaulay Honors College at the City University of New York, which waives tuition for students who maintain a 3.5 grade-point average.

As high school students and their parents consider college options, they might want to take a careful look at catalogs and course descriptions. In higher education these days, it’s buyer beware.

ANDREW HACKER CLAUDIA DREIFUS -mcclatchy newspapers

MCT CAMPUS

Financial crisis is worse than leaders acknowledge here is an old joke from the T First World War in which a German general is explaining the conditions of the front to a general from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the telegraph, he says the conditions at the front are “serious but not catastrophic.” Reporting back, the Austrian general says the conditions at his front are “catastrophic but not serious.”

In a recent lecture he gave, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek used this joke as an example of the way social ideology brings about people’s suspension of belief. After repeating the joke Zizek said “is this not more and more the way many of us, at least in the developed world relate to our global predicament?” Nearly everyone is aware of the growing ecological, social and economic crises the country is facing, yet for some reason people are incapable of taking it seriously.

It is as if people know the world is on the brink of total and complete catastrophe, yet they act like it is not a serious problem.

There are fewer examples which illustrate this point as well as the recent debt ceiling crisis in the United States and the economic after effects which followed. For the weeks leading up to it, economists from around the world were declaring the catastrophic implications of Congress failing to raise the debt ceiling. They warned that the affects of the U.S. defaulting on its loans would be nothing short of complete catastrophe for the short-term economic recovery.

While these warnings were being shouted, Congress and the Obama Administration members failed to present the American people and themselves to the situation’s seriousness.

Even when President Barack Obama declared the reality of the

crisis, the manner in which he spoke appeared so sobering and reassuring that it was difficult to truly take him seriously. More importantly, the fact that congressional members were so willing to lengthen the period of debate while focusing on non-immediate questions is a testament to the ability of the leaders to easily brush over the impending doom in their demeanor.

Examples such as these can be brought to light across a wide variety of fields in America’s current situation. For instance, people are aware of the catastrophic implications of the U.S. not bringing its budget deficit under control. Even when the credit rating of the federal government is lowered for the first time in 70 years, the government acts as if this was merely a temporary setback in an otherwise optimistic process of action. This point became especially clear when in the aftermath of the S&P’s decision on Friday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner responded, saying the agency showed a “stunning lack of knowledge about basic U.S. fiscal math.” Expressing a similar sentiment, Representative Barney Frank, a Democrat from Massachusetts, warned Americans to “pay no attention to (the S&P),” and President Obama said “the markets, on the other hand continue to believe our credit rating is AAA.” Regardless of the truth of these statements, their purpose is ultimately nothing less than the futile attempt of leaders to downplay the seriousness of America’s situation.

Our civilization has always been in the midst of catastrophe, but it seems as though the stakes have never been as high as they are now.

In America’s stage of economic and technological evolution, the affects

of any decently sized economic downturn can easily become catastrophic. More importantly, with populations as large as they are, and with our globalized world trying desperately to meet the needs of emerging economies, the ecological affects of global climate change would certainly result in such sociological and economic regression as to be catastrophic.

Taken all together, our species has reached a point in evolution where even the slightest beat of a butterfly’s wings would result in a tidal wave of unfathomable proportions.

Never before has the nation been in such a need of seriousness as now. Yet even with doom on all sides of our civilization, the government of the world’s leading power seems incapable of acting like anything more than toddlers. President Obama’s sobering stance on all issues may seem wonderful for the British perception of a “stiff upper chin” results in nothing less than making him appear both inept and incompetent. More importantly, the failure of the president and his Democratic colleagues to stand up against the radical right-wingers in Congress puts this entire nation on a swifter path to socioeconomic and political oblivion. People must all stop living their lives in the bubble of comfort and come to terms with the seriousness of the nation’s condition. People must stop being afraid to face reality and instead accept it so they can give their children a better inheritance than the catastrophic one they have thus far designed.

JASON CAMPBELL -regular columnist -junior -philosophy major

Verizon fattens wallet while employees lose job benefits eople hear a lot of talk about helpP ing “job creators,” but maybe it’s time they helped “job do-ers.” American workers, especially unionized workers, did not cause the economic crisis or further it, yet they seem to be taking most of the blame and punishment. Politicians, pundits and ordinary people have all quickly and inaccurately hopped on the “unions are the problem” bandwagon.

Last week, nearly 45,000 Verizon workers took to the streets to protest the cuts Verizon was demanding. The Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers were fighting back against unnecessary and unfair demands. Verizon wanted more than 100 concessions from the CWA. If Verizon had its way, it would eliminate disability benefits for workers injured while on the job, and end all job security provisions and paid sick days for new hires. In addition, the company would limit current employees sick days to five days and freeze pensions for current workers, while eliminating them for future employees. And that’s just naming a few of the proposed cuts.

The worst part is these cuts were not only unfair, but also unwarranted.

Verizon does not have the right to strip workers of their rights because its profits are through the roof. The company has not contributed fairly to the American system, and it would be a hypocrisy to make the people at the bottom sacrifice while Verizon’s top executives continue to earn millions. Frankly, there is no excuse for Verizon’s behavior.

Verizon wants to make it easier to fire workers, have workers contribute more toward health insurance and cut

workers’ pensions. Some have argued that these cuts are fair because of the decline in subscribers to Verizon’s landline service. However, none of these cuts are necessary — business isn’t bad, it’s actually quite good even with the decline in landline service subscribers. Verizon recorded $1.61 billion in profits in their second quarter this year, which topped analysts’ predictions. In fact, Verizon Communications’ revenues grew 2.8 percent year-on-year to USD $27.5 billion in the second quarter. Verizon’s business is booming, raking in billions of dollars. So with plenty of cash to go around, why should workers have to suffer? They shouldn’t.

Verizon did not have the right to attack American workers and the rights of American middle class families when they made $24.2 billion in pre-tax United States income last year and paid no taxes on it. In fact, the communcations giant actually claimed a federal refund of $1.3 billion for the last two years, thanks to offshore subsidiaries. Verizon’s attempt to lower American workers’ standard of living, while contributing nothing to America, shows a lack of integrity and should make your blood boil. If Verizon is not going to contribute to the American way of life, then it should not receive support from the public.

Another question was about the fairness of these cuts. These 45,000 workers were being asked to take concessions.

Over the last five years, the top five executives at Verizon have made more than $258 million. And Verizon wanted to replace the current high-quality health care plan with a high-deductible plan requiring up to $6,800 in additional costs. So why should Verizon’s work-

ers be forced to make this concession — and more — when the top executives haven’t been forced to make similar sacrifices? The answer is they shouldn’t.

In fact it reflects the wider culture of hypocrisy — that it is okay to destroy the lifestyle of the middle class and to make the lifestyle of those few at the top better.

If Verizon had its way, union workers would pay substantially more for their health care benefit, give up their defined benefit pension plan, allow the company to outsource more jobs, give away all job protections afforded by their union contract, give up their voice in matters that concern their job, and forego yearly raises. As college students, we are the future of the American workforce. We should appreciate those who are fighting and have fought to keep American jobs to that of a high quality.

So why cut costs when business has never been better? Why should Verizon get the public’s support when they don’t back up America? Why should Verizon workers sacrifice their benefits when the top executives won’t make those same sacrifices? The simple truth is Verizon was using the current economic climate as an excuse to attack middle class workers. I can only hope that the CWA and IBEW are successful in protecting their rights as they return to the bargaining table to renew their contract.

JEFF HOMAN -regular columnist -junior -history major

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august 22, 2011

page 6

Campus welcomes new residents

Campus Events THE BIGGEST POSTER SALE. Biggest and Best Selection. Choose from over 2000 different images. FINE ART, MUSIC, MOVIES, MODELS, HUMOR, ANIMALS, PERSONALITIES, LANDSCAPES, MOTIVATIONALS, PHOTOGRAPHY. MOST IMAGES ONLY $7, $8 AND $9 SEE US AT Plaza in Front of Bookstore ON Wednesday Aug. 17th thru Friday Aug. 26th, 2011. THE HOURS ARE 9AM6PM. THIS SALE IS SPONSORED BY University Bookstore

PAUL KURLAK / SPPS

On left, Karen DeSalva helps her son Jonathan DeSalva, a freshman, move into his dorm on Sunday.

On right, freshman wildlife sciences major Jonathan Vest, moves a carpet into his Pritchard Hall dorm. During the past week, over 8,000 students and their families flooded the campus for move-in.

VPI COLLEGE RING, never worn, pristine, $1000. email mfcauthen@gmail.com 803.754.1064

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Help Wanted

This 4 bedroom home at 511 Houston Street is located behind the tennis courts by Cassell and Lane Stadium.

Walk to classes! Talk to your friends. $1,300/ mo.

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Move in next summer and move out when your graduate. Great tailgating location!

Talk to your parents about buying this investment with you. Great tax breaks for parents and you establish your credit while at Tech. seargent26@aol. com. 804.840.0455

*****BARTENDING***** MAKE UP TO $300/ DAY. No Experience Necessary. Training Course Available.

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For Sale

For Rent 2 ROOMS FOR rent. 20 minutes from campus. Very quiet country living cable internet included call for details. no lease Bring a friend. All upstairs to yourselves.

Fun in the country. 540.793.3246

VIRGINIA TECH SWEATSHIRTS Heavyweight 12.5 oz. VT hoodies by Derrin. Now available at www.derrinusa. com.

healtth. employment. health. employm crime. music. sports. art. dorms. education. educ cation. housing. hou government. world politics. sales. travel.l. travel traffic. traffic construction. business. relationships. entertainment. en ntertainment. virginia tech. ut prosim. construction. organizations. downtown. dining halls.

Brand New Precor Strength and Cardio Equipment Group Fitness Classes • Personal Trainers ● Indoor Running Track ● Message Therapy

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August 27th

Free All Day - Giveaways Special Classes

WORDFIND • Theme: PIXAR Locate the list of words in the word bank in the letter grid.

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By Gary Steinmehl

ACROSS 1 Cote bleats 5 Further 9 Big name in restaurant guides 14 Flattop opposite 15 Steady fello w 16 Author Zola 17 Plane or sander 18 Elongated fish 19 Turning point 20 Last leg of a race 23 Nice season?

24 Snail mail need 25 Color in the fourcolor process 27 Chocolate bar with crisped rice

WORD BANK Bo Peep Bruce Chum Dim Dug Elastigirl Flik Hamm Jessie Kevin Mack Mater Ramone Red Roz Sid Syndrome Slinky Dog

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53 Times spent in prison or in office 57 Dusting aid 59 Very little, in slang 64 Remove from the videotape 66 Cleveland’ s lake 67 DDE’ s alma mater 68 Argentine grassland 69 Ole Miss riva l 70 Modern Roman, e.g.: Abbr.

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DOW N 1 They’re drawn in tubs 2 In progress 3 Bakery quality 4 Serious 5 Aid’s partner 6 Look that may be accompanied by a smir k 7 Shopping news 8 Bounce, as from a bar 9 Gentle winds 10 Porthos, to Athos 11 Abraham, to Lincol n 12 Oodles 13 Place for a beret 21 Risky business, briefly 22 Brutus’ 300 26 Bee or Em 28 Fa follower 29 Rose feature 30 Rain more gently 31 Rectangular computer key 32 Stuf f (into) 33 Lady birds

34 DoD fliers 35 D-Day target city 36 Monopol y, for one 40 House painter ’s calculatio n 42 Dedicated verse 45 Card player ’s goof 47 Ballpark figs.

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60 Unpaid loan, e.g.

61 Not bright at all 62 Bean town?

63 Wine taster’s guesstimate 65 Healthful resort Thursday’s Puzzle Solved

(c)2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

8/11/11

Zumba Classes

welcome guide

COLLEGIATETIMES

august 22, 2011

Campus clues

7

The first day of school can be a stressful time. Use these tips to avoid confusion and find the hot spots on campus.

Surge

This building has been confusing freshmen for four years now. It was planned as a temporary fixture, but now houses many large introductory classes.

To find the building, just keep walking down the road past McBryde and Major Williams Hall.

Upper Quad While many buildings in this, the oldest section of campus, are reserved for the Corps of Cadets, civilians also have classes and housing here. Many liberal arts students will need to find the buildings to attend classes in Shanks Hall and Major Williams Hall. The College of Science also has an office in the Upper Quad. It is in a trailer in the middle of the quad.

Student Life

Dining Halls

Ag Quad This often forgotten section of campus could hold classes for some freshmen. Sandy Hall, Price Hall and Smythe Hall are among the halls in this area that host classes.. Many students miss these buildings when looking for classes because they lie on the mostly residential side of the Drillfield.

Squires Student Center, Newman Library and the University Bookstore are centers of student activity. Numerous clubs and organizations have offices in Squires Student Center, which is also a busy lunch spot because of the Sbarro and Au Bon Pain locations in the building. Newman Library and University Bookstore stand right outside Squires, centered around a bustling plaza frequently filled with students and special events.

While orientation only shows off the all-you-can-eat buffet of D2, there are many options for on-campus dining. West End Market features gourmet dining options, as well as a sports-themed grill and a popular smoothie stand. Owens serves up sub sandwiches, brunch and the locally grown products. Hokie Grill is the place for brand name fast food. Chick-fil-a, Pizza Hut and Cinnabon have outposts in the facility attached to Owens Hall.

Don’t forget...

The Math Emporium, home to most freshman math classes, is not on campus. It is located at University Mall, which is on University City Boulevard. Students can catch the Math Empo bus in front of Burruss Hall.